


Family Found

by happywife416



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games)
Genre: Adoption, Children, F/M, Fluff, Some angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-02
Updated: 2016-12-02
Packaged: 2018-09-03 19:32:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8727457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happywife416/pseuds/happywife416
Summary: The Tales of how Varric and Rose found the rest of the Tethras-Hawke babies.





	1. Halfling

Isabela and Rose were headed to the docks. Night had fallen already, winter biting at exposed skin. They had come to Denerim on official Kirkwall business and she wanted nothing more than to go home to her family. Sunshine's head whipped towards an alley. "What is it, girl?" The warhound woofed softly and stalked into the darkness. 

Bela pulled her blades as Rose summoned fire to dance attendance around her. Sunshine nudged a fallen elven woman and a baby's wail pierced the night. "Sweet Andraste." Rose tossed up a ball of mage light as Bela checked the rest of the alley.

The woman was thin, barely bones, bruised and broken. The baby appeared to be healthy if a little thin herself. The woman grabbed Rose's hand with a surprising strength as she tried to inspect the gaping wound in her side. "My baby?"

"Bundled tight beside you, mamae." Rose answered softly. She nodded. When Rose brushed her magic against the woman she recoiled. Poison ran through her veins, even if she healed the wound she would die before they could get her to a better healer. "I'm so sorry."

She nodded again. "It's enough to know she won't die with me. Take her, her father is dead as well." She gave a shuddering breath as Rose picked the child up from her nest of blankets, wrapping her gently against the gloomy night. "Tell her, tell her, her mamae gave her to someone who would love her more than I could." And her eyes fell shut. 

Rose's eyes closed a moment, offering a silent prayer. Bela crouched down beside her. "I'll search her." She nodded. Bella's quiet frisking revealed little. A few coppers, a small dull, bloodied knife, and an amulet of Dirthamen. The double ravens were made of pure silver, their dark eyes sparkling in the low mage light as they dangled from their leather cord. "She worshiped as a Dalish but she has no vallaslin."

"We'll ask Merrill, maybe she's younger then we think." Rose's eyes were drawn to the baby in her arms, a warm comforting weight in them like Duncan had been. She opened her eyes, the light catching the reflection and casting it back. "Hello, little one." They studied each other for several heartbeats, sea blue eyes peering down into the one blue, one forest green. "Bela, look at her."

"Songbird, you're falling in love already." She chuckled. 

A stuttering laugh left her. Her hair was already growing in dark and thick, she couldn't tell if it would be curly yet. Her lips were rosy, the bottom stuck out in a glorious pout beneath a button nose and framed by cheeks that would surely dimple when she smiled. "She looks so familiar." Rose traced her the curve of her ear, far too delicate to be all human but not elven enough either. And that's when it hit her, who this child reminded her of. She bundled her close to her chest and stood. Rose held her hand out over the woman's body. "May you find peace, my lady. Your daughter will be well cared for." Flames ignited and burned away, leaving an empty alley. 

 

Back on the ship, Rose pulled the necklace free from her tunic after giving the child a wash and thorough check up. She was happily eating at the moment, kicking her tiny feet. The crystal heated in her hand and a familiar voice made her ache. "Rose?"

"Varric." A sigh, a prayer, and just a hint of a plea. "Maker, I have missed you. You would not believe the day I have had." She stared down at the tiny girl who swiped at the dangling chain. 

"It can't have been that bad." She smiled at his laughter. 

"Well, guess who I found?" She tapped the baby's nose. 

Silence echoed over the connection for several heartbeats. "Another mabari?"

Her laugh was shaky. "Not quite, though we will need another one of those. Annabeth." The name fell from her tongue as the baby spit the empty bottle from her mouth and smiled with a coo.

"Start at the beginning, menace." His voice was soft and she could feel the hug that would normally accompany it. She told him the whole story, described her every perfect toe, her delicate ears, and eyes that captivated and comforted her, the way her hair shined in the cabin's low light, the birthmark on her left calf that looked like a leafless tree swaying in the wind. Annabeth wound her tiny fists in her hair and tugged gleefully, pulling a wide smile to her face. "Well, mamae, it sounds like you found another piece of our hearts."

She chuckled softly. "I knew you would understand."

"Like I can ever tell you no." 

"I heard that." She could picture him leaning back at his desk, looking smug. 

"Heard what?" She shook her head. "It’s late, but do you want to talk to the rest of the monsters?"

"Yes, and they aren't monsters."

"Says the one who hasn't argued with Duncan every morning that no, you still can't join the guard." Rose felt the crystal's warmth mute as Varric called their oldest children to him.

 "Mamae!"

"Hi, everyone!" Her face cracked into a smile. "How are my loves?"

She could hear the scuffle before Duncan started. "When will you be home? I miss you!"

"I miss you too, sweetheart. I'm on Auntie Bella's ship now. How are your lessons?"

"Boring." She could hear the sneer. "Gryphon can carry a full dinner plate on his head."

"Oh, that's impressive."

Anora's voice carried over next. "Orana asked me to be the flower girl at her wedding."

Rose smiled, she knew that had been coming. "What did you say?"

"Yes! I can't wait until they get married! Oh, she said her and Fenris have something important to tell you when you get back."

"Something wrong with the renovations?"

"No, she seemed very happy."

She mulled it over a moment before letting it ago. Varric spoke next. "You two need to head to back to bed." Groans answered him. 

She chuckled. "I love you, I'll be home soon."

She could imagine Duncan grabbing the chain and yanking it close. "Will the harbormaster tell us? I want to meet you at the docks!"

She laughed. "They will let you know as soon as they see our colors in the morning. Now go to bed!" She listened to the chaos of bedtime as Varric sent them back to their rooms and to sleep with extra hugs and kisses. She sighed when it quieted. "I miss you, love."

His chuckle rumbled through. "Are you sure it's not because you could carry home more babies?" She made a rude noise, sending a line of heat through the empty bottle to disinfect it. "I miss you too, Rose. And I'm sure I will have missed our new daughter when I meet her."

She smiled and wrapped the sleeping babe in her arms before sending a current of magic through her cabin to dim the lights. "Part of me wants to talk until I fall asleep but that's not so great with this thing."

"This thing is pretty handy though."

"True." She settled herself and Annabeth into the narrow berth and snuggled them under the blanket, the lull of the ship already making her eyes heavy. "We need to visit Mae and thank her again in person."

"She would love that."

"Ooh, and we can see Dorian."

He chuckled. "Get some sleep, menace. We'll see you both in the morning."

"I love you, storyteller."

"I love you too, my hearts."


	2. Imekari, Dwarva

Varric wiped the sweat and dirt, and probably no small amount of blood, from his brow. Aveline's guards were taking the slaves back in to Kirkwall to have their injuries tended and to get them settled so Rose could start the long process of reuniting them with their families or starting them in new homes if they wished. He and Fenris had stayed behind to comb the slavers' camp for any information, buyers, other groups in the region, anything they could get their hands. It wasn't typical work for a viscount but it kept him on his toes and gave him much needed time away from the Keep. This group had taken a lot of children and it had pulled at his heart. Now he wanted nothing more than to go home to his family and wrap them in his arms. The sun was high and he knew Rose would be pulling the kids around the table for lunch. Anora would have spent the morning with her, putting a shine on her statecraft before she headed to Orlais this fall. Duncan would have spent the morning with his tutors, itching to get outside with Gryphon. Little Annabeth, barely toddling now, would have been with Anora and Rose, her dark tumble of curls enchanting the world around her. He sighed and headed into the last tent. 

It took only moments for his eyes to adjust to the interior gloom, his heart, however, stuttered to a halt. A little girl sat on one of the beds, white hair trailing between her scrawny shoulders. A noise escaped him and her head spun around to stare at him with piercing violet eyes. "Papa?"

He held out his hands. "No, sweetheart. My name is Varric. Where is your papa?"

"Gone." She pointed behind him as her head fell towards her chest as she began to sniffle.

He crossed the tent in three steps and picked her up and that's when he saw them. Under a ratty head scarf were two horns, soft spirals close to her forehead and the pointed ears. He searched his mind for the words that came so easily to his wife's tongue but settled for the one he knew. "Vashoth?"

She looked at him in confusion and she shook her head before scrambling down. She tugged his hand and pulled back the blankets revealing an infant. "Sissy."

He picked her up, she was weak but alive with golden curls and features he recognized from the mirror every morning. He stared down at the other child. "Your sissy is a dwarf?" She looked at him quizzically and shrugged. He blew forcefully. "How old are you?" She held up three fingers. "Your name? And sissy's?"

She bared her teeth. "Thing." She softened. "Sissy."

He chuckled. "That won't do, sweetheart." He adjusted the infant in his arm and offered her his hand. "Come on, I'll take you to my home and you can meet my kids and my wife." She took it, haltingly, and he gave her a smile. "You don't have to hide your horns either. I think they are pretty."

Fenris met them in the center of camp and he started to laugh. "What are you going to tell Hawke?"

"It's her fault."

 

Rose gazed down at the two girls sleeping in the guest room before turning her sparkling gaze on Varric. "Did you find out anything about them?"

"Violet claims the baby is her sister but we combed the records and didn't find anything. Maybe you could but." He shrugged. His eyes hadn't left them. Violet had scampered up his side on the walk home and fell asleep, her horn leaving an imprint on his shoulder. The baby had woken long enough to be fed, she had amber eyes older then her tiny body. He jumped when Rose trailed her fingers up his arm. 

"Storyteller, I haven't seen you this smitten in a long time." 

He smiled, catching her lips for a kiss before staring at their now joined hands. "Do you ever feel like sometimes it's meant to be? You were in a place for a reason and a purpose?"

She lay her head on his shoulder. "Destiny? Fate? Or is it chance?" She chuckled softly. "With the life we have had, I would be a fool to think otherwise. The girls feel right here. If they feel the same, then they stay."

"Thank you." He kissed her hair. 

She shook her head. "Love, you put up with this when I found the rest of our children. We find our hearts where we find them." She turned so she faced him, settling her arms on his shoulders and swaying to music only in her head. "Besides, you promised me half a dozen children." Her infectious grin spread to him. 

"And mabari to go with them." He chuckled against her skin. "We need a bigger house."

"Kick the visiting nobility out of the Keep." She whispered against his lips. "We'll just make the whole thing a family home with a single Council room. They can stay at the Hanged Man."

He nipped at her lips. "Free of charge?"

"Void, no.  If they can afford to bother us morning, noon, and night, they can afford to stay there. At inflated prices." 

Their laughter mixed as their lips tangled. "I'll make a proper guild woman of you yet."

A soft noise came from the bed and they turned their attention back to the two girls. Violet was staring at them, her startling eyes taking in the room with an intensity of one who was used to sleeping in the open air. It was a look Rose recognized from her own childhood. Bedrooms, houses, had been a hard adjustment after a life of wagon living and travel. She gave the girl a smile. "Would you like to sit by the window? I have it open." She nodded and padded softly across the room. The baby began to fuss and Varric went to tend her leaving Rose with her. She settled herself on the floor in front of chair the girl had perched in. "My name is Rose, I'm Varric's wife. Do you know where you are?"

The girl chewed on her fingers before answering. "Home."

Heat seared through Rose's chest. "If you want it to be." 

She nodded enthusiastically. "Sissy too."

"Of course. We wouldn't dream of keeping you apart." Rose's eyes traveled the girl's face, partially hidden by the frayed head covering. "Would you like me to brush your hair before we head down for supper and you meet the other kids? I can sing you a song."

She nodded before creeping into Rose's lap like a beaten puppy. Her heart ached. This tough little girl had been badly treated and she wanted nothing more than to wrap her in her arms and take it all away. She slipped the dirty brown fabric from her head. "You have beautiful horns, Violet. I have a friend, Asaaranda Adaar, she wears jewelry on hers. You will have to meet her some time." She began running the brush gently through the tangled mess of hair. Annabeth had thick hair, but this was a whole new level. Silk made into wool. She worked slowly, singing every song that came to mind and tossing Varric a halfhearted glare for his quiet laughter when she sang a very cleaned up shanty. He was content rocking the baby, who gurgled and waved her tiny limbs. Rose lost herself in the softness of the image, accidentally knocking the brush against Violet's horn. The girl flinched away but made no sound. "Sorry, love." She gently pulled the hair away from the horn and momentarily froze. Scars lined the child's head, jagged and ugly. She swallowed her rage, tamping it down as sulfur filled the room. She took a deep breath and finished brushing. "Do you like the name Violet?"

The girl nodded. "Like flower."

A soft laugh left Rose. "Yes, we have some in our garden." The girl stood, narrowly missing Rose's face with her tiny horns. "We can see them after we get some supper."

She broke into a wide grin. "Yes." She scampered over to Varric and peered at the baby. "Sissy, this is home." She placed a gentle kiss on the baby's head before looking around again, her face thoughtful. "Sissy not flower. Sissy stone baby."

Rose chewed her lip. Violet's speech was odd, like the child who had been raised by wolves she had read about. "Imekari?" 

Violet gave her a strange look. "Not sissy."

Rose gave Varric an arched look. "Well, since she is a child of the stone I think you should name her, storyteller."

"Mirra." He continued softly. "My mother requested it, that whenever Bartrand or I had a daughter we would name her Mirra." Rose smiled, hugging her knees as he cleared his throat. 

Violet nodded solemnly. "Mirra sissy." She planted another kiss on her forehead. "Food?"

Rose chuckled and unfolded from the floor. "Come on, out the door and towards the stairs." The girl danced ahead. Varric touched her arm with his free hand, concern etched in every line of his face. She kept her voice low as the anger boiled back to the surface. "Someone tried to cut her horns off."

The rage that flashed across Varric's face almost made her pity the fools if they ever found them. Almost. She hoped they were already dead. He wrapped his fingers with hers and gave a gentle squeeze. "She'll be safe here. And so will Mirra."

"Anyone lays a hand on our darlings and they better hope the guards get to them first." She brushed a soft kiss against his lips before brushing a golden curl back from Mirra's face. "Are you going to let me hold her?"

"Nope." Rose laughed as they joined Violet at the stairs. 

Annabeth was hanging from Anora's shoulders in the dining room and Duncan eyed the girls with interest. Rose rested her hands gently on Violet's shoulders and gave her an encouraging smile. "Everyone, I want you to meet Violet and her sister, Mirra. Violet, this is Anora, Annabeth, and Duncan."  She gave a little wave. 

Duncan waltzed over and gave her a hug. Rose and Varric gave each other surprised glances, of all their children he was the child that didn't do hugs. He stepped away shyly. "Welcome home, little sisters."


End file.
